What a start to IBC 2014 with Sony pulling the FS7 out of the hat…this is the 4K/HD camcorder of 2014…poor Panasonic with their VariCam just coming to market having to fight off the FS7 is going to be a major headache for not only them but Canon. Who in their right minds will buy a C300 or C500 with this £8000 Sony FS7 on offer and that includes the 28-135mm f4 servo zoom lens.
For anyone who did not watch the live stream from Sony this morning the Sony F5 is to be FW updated to allow 4K internal recording which is no surprise after announcing the new FS7.
Don’t take it from me here are some sage words from a fellow blogger Matt Davis…
Matt Davis “Sony won it. They aced it. The S35 sensor e-Mount PXW-FS7 is the ‘camera of IBC’. What isn’t there to love? 4:2:2 10 bit internal recording at HD and 4K, 180fps for HD slomo, great ergonomics, every element of camera ownership carefully throughout.
So sorry, JVC and Panasonic – 1/3″ sensors just don’t cut it any more. 1″ is good – 2/3″ is a widely supported format for lenses. It comes down to this: if you have a camera that does less than 2/3″ sensor (x3) and does less than 4:2:2 at 10 bit, you’re toast.
Why didn’t Panasonic put a GH4 in an AF101 body? Why is JVC mucking around with 4K on small sensor sizes? Who wants a 100 ISO camera?
Canon is dangling in the wind. If anyone is considering a C100 or C300, they are duty bound to look at the FS7 now – for the internal 10 bit acquisition, for the 4K option, for the variety of e-mount lens options, for the superlative ergonomics – why would you not?
Even the audio – FS7 offers 4 channel 48KHz 24 bit recording. All the way, Sony’s PXW-FS7 is as exciting and as game changing as the EX1 and the FS100.”
OK, Sony. You got my attention now.